Ye Ole USMC cold weather trick

I was a 2 time heat casualty when I was in the USMC, as a result I ended up in a Extreme Cold Weather Assault Unit.  This was in the final days of the USSR, and it basically meant that we were training to invade Siberia. These guys took cold weather seriously. One of the tricks that stuck with me (in addition to the awesome GoreTex&Thinsulate boots I have to this day) was how we'd pack margarine.

We'd end up with sheets of margarine, that came in blister pack sheets roughly 12x12 inches. The margarine was a caloric addition to our normal food rations, because acclimatizing to extreme cold weather really increased your metabolism.  

But the real trick was how we'd carry the margarine.  We'd take the blister pack sheets, and attach them to the inside of our thermal vests or thermal underwear; in such a way as that the blister packs were held upon our chest & back just over our closest base layer.  (They were *big* on layering)  Carried in this way, the margarine acted as a phase-change material, because the melting point of margarine was so close to the human body temps that holding up next to your skin, inside of your warm layers, would melt the margarine if you weren't too cold already.  And once you were in the deep cold, and your activity and metabolism couldn't keep up with the heat loss, the margarine would help as it "froze" up again at about 95 degrees.  

I remembered this trick recently during the latest cold snap, and went looking for some margarine in these blister pack sheets; but I can't find them. Anyone know where they can be bought? I don't actually like to eat margarine, but it works pretty well as an under-layer.

Hi Creighton,

I have to say that I would never have thought of that myself but that is one fascinating yet simply effective way to stay warm.  I have spent plenty of my time in temps below -10 and high winds (worst was -30 with 50 mph winds).  I too believe in layers, sometimes lots of them.  Today I live in the interface of the Midwest and the South, but otherwise a very Appalachian or Ozark climate, much warmer than I am accustomed.  My neighbors have a hard time comprehending the temperatures I consider to be cold.  All that said, When I talk about cold weather my neighbors are sometimes surprised to find out that one of the worst problems working in the extreme cold is actually heat as any activity will build up heat that will not easily ventilate outside (assuming one is wearing wind-proof clothing--I always do).  In any case, using the margarine as a phase-change material not only keeps you warm, but also helps keep you from overheating!  Seriously, this is a genius idea!  

Thanks for contributing!

Eric

Very cool. No idea where to find those blister packs though. I am going to look around and I'll post if I find anything.

I was in the army up in Alaska right when the new extreme cold weather gear came out and we got to play with it. It's mind blowingly effective. When you wear the whole get up standing guard (not moving at all) at -55F was no problem. Then we skied and snowshoed, dragging a big sled around for a while (which about 3/4 of us had never done...) and the wicking and ventilation qualities were just unbelievable. I bet that stuff costs so much money... Too bad they only let me keep the inner layers!

Dan Fish wrote:Very cool. No idea where to find those blister packs though. I am going to look around and I'll post if I find anything.

I was in the army up in Alaska right when the new extreme cold weather gear came out and we got to play with it. It's mind blowingly effective. When you wear the whole get up standing guard (not moving at all) at -55F was no problem. Then we skied and snowshoed, dragging a big sled around for a while (which about 3/4 of us had never done...) and the wicking and ventilation qualities were just unbelievable. I bet that stuff costs so much money... Too bad they only let me keep the inner layers!

I can vouch for the current extreme cold weather US gear as well. I lucked into the pants and parka for $20 bucks each as new surplus. I think the government pays about $250 for the parkas, not sure about the pants. Very lightweight and well-designed, but not tough. With them and my mickey boots, I can handle anything winter throws at me. Maybe a vacuum sealer could make these margerine thermals?

Dan Fish wrote:Then we skied and snowshoed, dragging a big sled around for a while (which about 3/4 of us had never done...)

Yeah, lot's of cross country skiing pulling a plastic sled. I never had the snowshoes, but I had the "Mickey Mouse" overboots. Like I said before, I got to keep the combat boots (thinsulate & goretex) and they work great to this day. I know for a fact that they cost the taxpayer about $350 in 1990.  I also got to keep the polypropylene base layers/long underwear, but that didn't survive the years.  My camo gear was actually white with small patches of grey, but that was only the outer shell; most of it was still jungle camo.  I predate the digital camo era.

Jordan Holland wrote:Maybe a vacuum sealer could make these margerine thermals?

Perhaps, but part of the advantage of the flat blister packs was that the phase change material was spread out across your chest or back.  If we were to make them ourselves, we'd have to replicate that with many small packets. Hmm, I just thought about spray gluing those flat packets one gets at a restaurant to a t-shirt.

And, unfortunately, it has to be margarine. Butter won't work, as it's melting temp is higher than the normal body temps.

Creighton Samuels wrote:

Jordan Holland wrote:Maybe a vacuum sealer could make these margerine thermals?

Perhaps, but part of the advantage of the flat blister packs was that the phase change material was spread out across your chest or back.  If we were to make them ourselves, we'd have to replicate that with many small packets. Hmm, I just thought about spray gluing those flat packets one gets at a restaurant to a t-shirt.

I don't know what the blister packs look like, but the vacuum sealer bags are about a foot wide and as long as you want to make them.

Jordan Holland wrote:

Creighton Samuels wrote:

Jordan Holland wrote:Maybe a vacuum sealer could make these margerine thermals?

Perhaps, but part of the advantage of the flat blister packs was that the phase change material was spread out across your chest or back.  If we were to make them ourselves, we'd have to replicate that with many small packets. Hmm, I just thought about spray gluing those flat packets one gets at a restaurant to a t-shirt.

I don't know what the blister packs look like, but the vacuum sealer bags are about a foot wide and as long as you want to make them.

Yes, but if we make one 12"xx12" packet, the margarine will pool in the bottom the first time you wear it. We'd have to seal up a grid, so that there's a bunch of pockets of margarine; so that when each melts and refreezes, it's still in the same spot.

That would be easy enough to do, I have vacuum sealed stuff like that. Put about an inch across the bottom, seal it, don't cut it, do another inch, seal it, etc.

I'll have to remember that trick, that's neat! Thank you!! :D

Edit: and when it's sealed up, you could turn it sideways and make the other grid by just sealing....

Pearl Sutton wrote:That would be easy enough to do, I have vacuum sealed stuff like that. Put about an inch across the bottom, seal it, don't cut it, do another inch, seal it, etc.


Edit: and when it's sealed up, you could turn it sideways and make the other grid by just sealing....

I'd be willing to pay for a few of those.  Leave the four corners empty of margarine, and seal them flat as well. Then I can punch a hole into the corners to make supports.

Creighton Samuels wrote:

Pearl Sutton wrote:That would be easy enough to do, I have vacuum sealed stuff like that. Put about an inch across the bottom, seal it, don't cut it, do another inch, seal it, etc.


Edit: and when it's sealed up, you could turn it sideways and make the other grid by just sealing....

I'd be willing to pay for a few of those.  Leave the four corners empty of margarine, and seal them flat as well. Then I can punch a hole into the corners to make supports.

Leaving corners would be tricky. Leaving a wide edge on all sides would be easier.

Couldn't you just poke the holes in the corners and drain out the offending margarine?

Creighton Samuels wrote:And, unfortunately, it has to be margarine. Butter won't work, as it's melting temp is higher than the normal body temps.

I wonder if coconut oil would work instead. It melts at 32.5 to 34.5 C, which, on the upper end, is closer to human body temperature than margarine.

That should work, and you don't have to buy margarine. For me, it's a waste. I don't eat the stuff, and short of lubricant, I can't think of a single way I'd use it.

-CK

And I should add that butter might still work, though the specific butterfat content would need to be known (the higher the content, the higher the melting point; if they had been testing raw Jersey milk, it may have read as high as 38 C or higher), but lower-fat content butters should melt at temperatures as low as 32.5 C.

And ghee apparently melts at 32.4 C. So while we would probably have to test the different possibilities on their phase-change merits, there are numerous examples of edible fats that might be used, both closer to human body temperature, as well as significantly lower, but still within a useful range.

Personally, I would rather eat butter or ghee, if from grass-fed beef, or coconut oil, in a hunkered-down-waiting-for-rescue situation where I was sheltered but starving. Though I suppose perhaps all the fats might burn (externally, for heat, as in fuel for a fire) with the appropriate encouragement.

-CK

Coconut oil seems like a good idea and I do have a vacuum sealer, but it just doesn't get that cold here.

Also, we called 'em "bunny boots", hahahaha.

I had the big goretex boots too. In fact I was forced to pack them into Iraq. I got tired of hauling those 10 pound monsters around and gave them to a local. I bet he was excited until the first time he tried to wear them in the 130 degree heat!